Menu

Power of Engagement: Why Sharing IS Caring…

When blog readers share a post via social media or “like” it or make comments, it means they are connecting to the subject and discussion. This is feedback every writer wants, whether it is fiction, non-fiction, or their blog: the words are hitting some mark.

It also means one other thing: more readers (or viewers or listeners) will be exposed to the material on the blog or website.

Here is a quick example:

The difference between a post being shared via social media, or not shared, can mean a significant difference in the number of readers for a blog.

Facebook has a very unique sharing algorithm and I am dramatically unqualified to explain it in any detail. The short version is this: Even though I have over 100 people who are “fans” of my Words Matter Creative Writing page on Facebook, not all of them are “reached” when I make a post.

In other words, just because I post a blog or other info on my Facebook page, that doesn’t mean the people who have “liked” my page will ever see it. In the examples above, the two posts before the “What’s the Deal With an MFA” post were only seen by about 20 of the folks who follow my page.

However, when one or two of THOSE people, who DID see the MFA post click the “share” button and feature it on their Facebook page, that metric of “people reached” can quickly grow. Because this post was shared by a writer friend of mine (Jennie Jarvis at Jarvis Writes) it reached more people. Significantly more. And many of those people clicked on the link, came to my blog, and read the post.

This is true of other forms of social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, or whatever social network you may be involved in). That’s why I have a little “sharing is caring” button on the bottom of each post, and floating on the lefthand side of each page. This makes it easy for readers to help promote a post or page they find useful. When readers help spread the word, it can have a real snowball effect.

This is important not just for blog traffic statistics and making new connections, but it is also, in this modern age, important for writers when they are being considered by agents and publishers: the platform you have developed has a lot to do with whether or not an agent or publisher will “take the plunge.” (Yes. You still have to have a well-written book. Your content is still important. But these sorts of social media metrics mean more and more in an age where “word of mouth” trumps high-dollar advertising…)

So, it may get tiring to hear, and if so I apologize, but I will, from time to time, remind readers and friends and family of the value of sharing posts you find helpful, informative, entertaining, or thought-provoking…not just on my site, but anywhere you find quality material.

Just remember: every “like” and share and comment is like tossing a tip into the writer’s virtual tip jar.

Thanks so much for reading. I’m really happy to have each of you stopping by. I see the web-traffic numbers and I know many of you are reading. That means a lot to me.